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The Realms of Enlightenment: The Grey Companions
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<blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 427035" data-attributes="member: 2323"><p><strong>[PLAIN][Realms #184] They're Selling Like Hotcakes[/PLAIN]</strong></p><p></p><p>Draelond stepped back from Nunzio's lifeless body as Finian rushed into the room followed closely by the pale Battleguard. The look of disappointment on the Archer's face surprised the Warrior as he had expected instead to see some sort of hideous disfigurement caused by the burning brew.</p><p></p><p>"Gee, Draelond, what's the matter?" Finian grinned. "You look disappointed?"</p><p></p><p>"Your face is-," the man began and the Archer patted his belt pouch and the healing potions contained therein.</p><p></p><p>"Healed," he finished Draelond's sentence. "Boy, I sure am lucky. That will teach me to go first into battle." The look on Finian's face told them all that not even he believed that statement.</p><p></p><p>Draelond quickly offered an apology of sorts. Indicating Nunzio's corpse, he said, "I'm sure you'd like to have had the pleasure Archer, but there wasn't much time to consider the ironies."</p><p></p><p>"Dead is dead," the Archer replied, pausing to spit once on the wererat's corpse.</p><p></p><p>Draelond raised an eyebrow at this before turning away. "Thank you, Ledare," he said as he wiped Ravager's blade clean. "Your warning may have saved me from becoming Mother's Sunday Afternoon Special."</p><p></p><p>He chuckled nervously until he heard Ruze make a choking sound. The cleric was bent over, leaning heavily on the counter. His pale face had taken on a greenish tinge.</p><p></p><p>"Are you alright, Ruze?" Ledare asked.</p><p></p><p>"Uhhh..," he groaned, his mouth watering horribly. "I think I..."</p><p></p><p>"Gee, Ruze, how many meat pies have you eaten from here?" Finian joked. "Kind of makes you sick don't it."</p><p></p><p>In reply, the Battleguard convulsed as if someone had punched him in the stomach and promptly vomited his breakfast all over Nunzio's body and Draelond's boots. Cursing, the warrior hastily stepped away his face twisted up in disgust.</p><p></p><p>"I'm sorry," Ruze managed to say before he convulsed again and sent another gusher of half-digested food onto the floorboards. His third convulsion yielded nothing. "I don't think I will ever eat again," he sputtered between dry heaves.</p><p></p><p>Finian pressed his fist against his lips to hide his grin as he eyed Draelond's boots. "We really need to search this place carefully and be on the look out for 'Mother'," the Archer said. He pointed at the door. "We all heard Nunzio yell for her and if the door is barred, then no one has left."</p><p></p><p>"I say we burn this place to the ground," Ruze suggested. His complexion was returning to its normal swarthy color.</p><p></p><p>"I don't know if torching the whole place is the best idea..," Draelond replied. "But torching the rats... Now that's a possibility. I'm sure there's something here that would be useful in setting them ablaze."</p><p></p><p>"Do any of you have any idea how to mix up something like that?" Kirnoth asked from the doorway of the storeroom. "This may be our best opportunity to destroy all the rats in one place. If there's a way we can blow them all up, then I vote for doing that."</p><p></p><p>"I think that oil would do a good job if we want to burn them," Finian suggested. "I would think there would be some around a kitchen."</p><p></p><p>"Don't be daft," Ledare said with a firm shake of her head. "We're not starting any fires. We'd burn down half of Barnacus."</p><p></p><p>"Well, I'm all out of manna for the day," Kirnoth told them. "Could Ruze conjure up some kind of miracle to aid in the rat's destruction?"</p><p></p><p>The Battleguard shook his head. "I doubt it," he said. "A miracle of that sort is beyond my skill. And anyway, I need to purify and sanctify the processing area down stairs." At the thought of it, the color began to drain from his face again.</p><p></p><p>"Are you sure you're up to that?" Ledare asked and Ruze swallowed hard and straightened himself.</p><p></p><p>"I cannot allow that to remain as it is. I need to put those souls to rest," he told her. "So I say back down we go."</p><p></p><p>"We still need to search this place," Finian reminded.</p><p></p><p>"I'll help with that," Kirnoth told the Archer. "I've no desire to return to that room of horrors."</p><p></p><p>Finian nodded and suggested, "And let's hide Nunzio's body from sight. So if 'Mother' comes back, she may not know he is dead."</p><p></p><p>"I'm not sure who 'Mother' is, but it seems as though leaving the body in plain sight just invites a rage attack," Draelond nodded. "Maybe catching her by surprise if she happens to return would be helpful."</p><p></p><p>"Fine," Ruze said. "Draelond is the strongest and can carry Nunzio. My kitten, kindly come hither, so I may pass on my Queen's protections."</p><p></p><p>Ledare rolled her eyes and stepped forward.</p><p></p><p>"My Queen, blessed be thy sight," Ruze prayed, laying one his hand on his holy symbol and the other on the Janissary's shoulderguard. "Grant Ledare the power of thy protection from the blight of these foul and evil creatures."</p><p></p><p>The room flooded momentarily with moonlight, and the air around Ledare seemed to retain a bit of that silvery glow even after Ruze had taken his hand away. "And now, I must do whatever is in my power to end this right now!" he exclaimed and headed for the storeroom and the stair down with Ledare and the heavily burdened Draelond following closely behind.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Finian and Kirnoth searched the restaurant's ground floor carefully, looking for anything that would explain what was going on there. They found nothing out of the ordinary with one exception. The covered pies that were warming atop the stove behind the counter each had a curious symbol cut from dough, decorating the center of each top crust.</p><p></p><p>"What do you make of it?" Finian asked and Kirnoth shook his head.</p><p></p><p>"It's familiar, but I can't say where I've seen it before," the mage replied, holding his hand over his nose. The odor coming off of the warm pies, while it would have made his mouth water yesterday, today served only to knot his stomach.</p><p></p><p>A sudden knocking at the door gave the two Companions a start.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Neither Ledare nor Draelond recognized any of the thirteen bodies that had been hung around the abattoir. Of course, that wasn't surprising since they had all had their heads, hands and feet removed along with all of their internal organs. Ruze and Draelond carefully took each of the corpses from the meat hooks and laid them on the floor with as much dignity as the bodies' condition could manage. Ledare stared down through the grate into the junction room below. The chamber was empty save for the floating bodies of the dead skaven and dozens of drowned rats. There was no sign of any living creatures below at all.</p><p></p><p>"My Queen, I am so sorry for the innocent and the weak that have been slaughtered," Ruze said as he began a prayer to speed the dead to Myrkul's halls in the afterlife.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"Mom?" a voice called from the other side of the front doors. "I've come fo' mo' pies!"</p><p></p><p>Finian and Kirnoth looked at one another.</p><p></p><p>The knock came again - louder this time. "Come on, Mom! Open up!" the voice called again. "They're sellin' better'n I've e'er seen. I swear tha' jus' about everybody at the festival's eatin' yer finest!"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jon Potter, post: 427035, member: 2323"] [b][PLAIN][Realms #184] They're Selling Like Hotcakes[/PLAIN][/b] Draelond stepped back from Nunzio's lifeless body as Finian rushed into the room followed closely by the pale Battleguard. The look of disappointment on the Archer's face surprised the Warrior as he had expected instead to see some sort of hideous disfigurement caused by the burning brew. "Gee, Draelond, what's the matter?" Finian grinned. "You look disappointed?" "Your face is-," the man began and the Archer patted his belt pouch and the healing potions contained therein. "Healed," he finished Draelond's sentence. "Boy, I sure am lucky. That will teach me to go first into battle." The look on Finian's face told them all that not even he believed that statement. Draelond quickly offered an apology of sorts. Indicating Nunzio's corpse, he said, "I'm sure you'd like to have had the pleasure Archer, but there wasn't much time to consider the ironies." "Dead is dead," the Archer replied, pausing to spit once on the wererat's corpse. Draelond raised an eyebrow at this before turning away. "Thank you, Ledare," he said as he wiped Ravager's blade clean. "Your warning may have saved me from becoming Mother's Sunday Afternoon Special." He chuckled nervously until he heard Ruze make a choking sound. The cleric was bent over, leaning heavily on the counter. His pale face had taken on a greenish tinge. "Are you alright, Ruze?" Ledare asked. "Uhhh..," he groaned, his mouth watering horribly. "I think I..." "Gee, Ruze, how many meat pies have you eaten from here?" Finian joked. "Kind of makes you sick don't it." In reply, the Battleguard convulsed as if someone had punched him in the stomach and promptly vomited his breakfast all over Nunzio's body and Draelond's boots. Cursing, the warrior hastily stepped away his face twisted up in disgust. "I'm sorry," Ruze managed to say before he convulsed again and sent another gusher of half-digested food onto the floorboards. His third convulsion yielded nothing. "I don't think I will ever eat again," he sputtered between dry heaves. Finian pressed his fist against his lips to hide his grin as he eyed Draelond's boots. "We really need to search this place carefully and be on the look out for 'Mother'," the Archer said. He pointed at the door. "We all heard Nunzio yell for her and if the door is barred, then no one has left." "I say we burn this place to the ground," Ruze suggested. His complexion was returning to its normal swarthy color. "I don't know if torching the whole place is the best idea..," Draelond replied. "But torching the rats... Now that's a possibility. I'm sure there's something here that would be useful in setting them ablaze." "Do any of you have any idea how to mix up something like that?" Kirnoth asked from the doorway of the storeroom. "This may be our best opportunity to destroy all the rats in one place. If there's a way we can blow them all up, then I vote for doing that." "I think that oil would do a good job if we want to burn them," Finian suggested. "I would think there would be some around a kitchen." "Don't be daft," Ledare said with a firm shake of her head. "We're not starting any fires. We'd burn down half of Barnacus." "Well, I'm all out of manna for the day," Kirnoth told them. "Could Ruze conjure up some kind of miracle to aid in the rat's destruction?" The Battleguard shook his head. "I doubt it," he said. "A miracle of that sort is beyond my skill. And anyway, I need to purify and sanctify the processing area down stairs." At the thought of it, the color began to drain from his face again. "Are you sure you're up to that?" Ledare asked and Ruze swallowed hard and straightened himself. "I cannot allow that to remain as it is. I need to put those souls to rest," he told her. "So I say back down we go." "We still need to search this place," Finian reminded. "I'll help with that," Kirnoth told the Archer. "I've no desire to return to that room of horrors." Finian nodded and suggested, "And let's hide Nunzio's body from sight. So if 'Mother' comes back, she may not know he is dead." "I'm not sure who 'Mother' is, but it seems as though leaving the body in plain sight just invites a rage attack," Draelond nodded. "Maybe catching her by surprise if she happens to return would be helpful." "Fine," Ruze said. "Draelond is the strongest and can carry Nunzio. My kitten, kindly come hither, so I may pass on my Queen's protections." Ledare rolled her eyes and stepped forward. "My Queen, blessed be thy sight," Ruze prayed, laying one his hand on his holy symbol and the other on the Janissary's shoulderguard. "Grant Ledare the power of thy protection from the blight of these foul and evil creatures." The room flooded momentarily with moonlight, and the air around Ledare seemed to retain a bit of that silvery glow even after Ruze had taken his hand away. "And now, I must do whatever is in my power to end this right now!" he exclaimed and headed for the storeroom and the stair down with Ledare and the heavily burdened Draelond following closely behind. Finian and Kirnoth searched the restaurant's ground floor carefully, looking for anything that would explain what was going on there. They found nothing out of the ordinary with one exception. The covered pies that were warming atop the stove behind the counter each had a curious symbol cut from dough, decorating the center of each top crust. "What do you make of it?" Finian asked and Kirnoth shook his head. "It's familiar, but I can't say where I've seen it before," the mage replied, holding his hand over his nose. The odor coming off of the warm pies, while it would have made his mouth water yesterday, today served only to knot his stomach. A sudden knocking at the door gave the two Companions a start. Neither Ledare nor Draelond recognized any of the thirteen bodies that had been hung around the abattoir. Of course, that wasn't surprising since they had all had their heads, hands and feet removed along with all of their internal organs. Ruze and Draelond carefully took each of the corpses from the meat hooks and laid them on the floor with as much dignity as the bodies' condition could manage. Ledare stared down through the grate into the junction room below. The chamber was empty save for the floating bodies of the dead skaven and dozens of drowned rats. There was no sign of any living creatures below at all. "My Queen, I am so sorry for the innocent and the weak that have been slaughtered," Ruze said as he began a prayer to speed the dead to Myrkul's halls in the afterlife. "Mom?" a voice called from the other side of the front doors. "I've come fo' mo' pies!" Finian and Kirnoth looked at one another. The knock came again - louder this time. "Come on, Mom! Open up!" the voice called again. "They're sellin' better'n I've e'er seen. I swear tha' jus' about everybody at the festival's eatin' yer finest!" [/QUOTE]
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